Paraguay relocation documents by nationality (2026)

TL;DR

The whole document game in five lines

• The core set is the same for most nationalities: valid passport, birth certificate, police/criminal-record certificate, and marriage certificate if you are married.
• Every document goes through the same two-step chain: apostille in your home country (Paraguay is a Hague member), then sworn Spanish translation by a translator matriculated with Paraguay's Supreme Court, normally done in Asunción.
• Where you get the police certificate and its apostille is the part that changes by nationality - FBI + US Dept of State, ACRO + FCDO, Führungszeugnis + BfAA, PCC + MEA, RCMP + Global Affairs Canada, AFP + DFAT.
• Get the police certificate LAST - the DNM requires it to be current, so re-pulling a stale certificate is one of the most common reasons people redo paperwork.
• Standard residency is administrative under Ley 6984/2022, ~US$ 460 in fees, no investment minimum, no language test, cédula at the end.

The core set

The four documents the DNM actually expects

Paraguay's residency document list is mercifully short. The standard administrative route under Ley 6984/2022 is built around a small core set, and most people only need these four. Bring originals, not photocopies - the apostille has to attach to an original with a recognised wet-ink signature and seal.

• Valid passport - the original, with enough validity left to cover your application window. A clear colour copy of the photo page is usually requested alongside it.
• Birth certificate - the original or a certified long-form copy from your home civil registry. This is what the DNM uses to confirm identity and parentage.
• Police / criminal-record certificate - a national-level criminal background check from your country (and sometimes from any country you have lived in recently). This is the document whose issuing office changes most by nationality.
• Marriage certificate - only if you are married, and especially if you are applying as a couple or relying on a spouse. Divorce decrees may be requested if relevant.
• (Situational) Proof of economic solvency or income, and a local Paraguayan address - the DNM may ask for these; confirm the current evidence format with your gestor before you apostille anything extra.

Document lists shift. Treat this as the durable core and confirm the exact current checklist with the DNM or your gestor before you start paying for apostilles.

The two-step chain

Apostille first, then sworn translation in Asunción - in that order

Every foreign document follows the same path, and the order is not optional. Paraguay is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, so you do NOT use embassy/consular legalisation - you use an apostille. Then, because the DNM works in Spanish, each apostilled document must be translated by a sworn translator (traductor público matriculado) registered with Paraguay's Supreme Court. The honest mistake to avoid: translating at home first. A translation done abroad is itself a foreign document that would then need its own apostille - it is cleaner, and the simplest path, to translate in Asunción after the apostille is on. See the dedicated apostille guide for the mechanics.

• Step 1 - Obtain each original document (passport copy certified, birth certificate, police certificate, marriage certificate).
• Step 2 - Apostille each one in the issuing country, at that country's designated apostille authority (the table below shows who that is).
• Step 3 - Bring the apostilled originals to Asunción. Do NOT pre-translate them abroad.
• Step 4 - Have a sworn translator matriculated with the Supreme Court translate each apostilled document into Spanish, in Paraguay.
• Step 5 - Where the DNM requires it, have an escribano público (Paraguayan notary) notarise documents in the format Migraciones specifies before you file.

A document apostilled but not yet sworn-translated is not file-ready, and a translation done abroad without its own apostille will be rejected. Both are common, expensive do-overs.

By nationality

Where your police certificate and apostille come from

This is the part of the checklist that genuinely differs by passport. The police/criminal-record certificate and the apostille on it are issued by different authorities in every country. The table lists the national police-check document and the body that apostilles it. If your nationality is not here, the pattern still holds - find your national criminal-record check, then your country's designated apostille (Competent) Authority - and your move-from country page covers the specifics.

Authorities, fees and processing times change. Verify each on the official government site before you pay - and remember every one of these still needs a sworn Spanish translation in Asunción afterward.

Print this

Printable relocation document checklist

Run top to bottom. The single most important sequencing rule is at the bottom: pull your police certificate last so it is still current when you file.

• Valid passport (original + certified copy of photo page)
• Birth certificate (original / certified long-form)
• Marriage certificate - if married (and divorce decree if relevant)
• Police / criminal-record certificate from your nationality's authority (see table)
• Police / criminal-record check from any other country you recently resided in, if requested
• Each document apostilled at the correct home-country authority
• Apostilled originals carried to Asunción - NOT pre-translated abroad
• Sworn Spanish translation of each, by a traductor público matriculado (Supreme Court), in Asunción
• Notarisation by an escribano público where the DNM requires it
• Proof of solvency / income and local address, if the DNM requests them
• TIP: obtain the police certificate LAST - the DNM requires it to be current ('vigente'), so pull it as close to filing as you can

If you genuinely cannot obtain a clean police certificate, do not assume Paraguay has a loophole - read residency without a background check for what is and is not actually possible.

After the file

What the documents are actually for

The reason this checklist matters is what it unlocks. The standard route under Ley 6984/2022 is administrative (handled by the DNM, not a court), carries roughly US$ 460 in government fees, requires no investment minimum and no language test, and ends with you receiving a cédula - the Paraguayan ID. Qualifying investors can instead use the Investor Pass / SUACE route to direct permanent residency, reaching the CIE in about five days. Once you hold residency, the path to citizenship opens after three years of permanent residency (Constitución Art. 148-149), and Paraguay's territorial tax system means foreign-source income is taxed at 0% (Ley 6380/2019), with tax residency at 183 days.

• Standard residency: administrative, ~US$ 460 in fees, no investment minimum, no language test, cédula at the end.
• Investor route: direct permanent residency via SUACE, ~5 days to the CIE for qualifying investors.
• Tax: territorial - foreign income 0%; local IRP 8-10%, corporate IRE 10%, IVA (VAT) 10%; tax residency at 183 days.
• Citizenship: after 3 years of permanent residency.
• Where you land matters too - most movers choose between Asunción, Encarnación and Ciudad del Este (see regions).

FAQ

Document checklist questions